There are two categories of people in the world: Those who believe and trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and those who don’t. Believing that Jesus existed and is God falls in the latter. What both groups have in common is the propensity or tendency to stray from God’s ways, laws and moral code.
Today, I am going to show you the consequences or what can happen when a godly person (an authentic Christian) continually disobeys God and sins perpetually, leaning on God’s grace, but ignoring His justice. Let’s get started.
Living absent of repentant sin affects our physical, emotional and spiritual health. Sin affects our relationship with God, turning the love that belongs to Him alone and pointing it inward toward ourselves. When we reject God in favor of anything else, it becomes sin. But, the ultimate consequence of sin is an ultimate rejection of and rebellion against God. And this can lead to death. What do I mean by that? If a saved Christian is a perpetual drug user, that is sin and that sin can eventually cause them to overdose. That’s a fairly clear cut example of sin leading to death. But what about those who are saved but refuse to totally submit to life dedicated to seeking God’s ways?
That’s what I want to look at today through the eyes of 1 Samual chapter 28. Here, we learn about the rebellious life of king Saul who was put into the office of king over Israel against God’s counsel by request of the Jewish people. Leading up to Samuel 28, Samuel failed to listen to God’s instructions through the prophet Samual-ultimately doing what he wanted to do over above God’s way. By the time we get to 1 Samual 28, we find Saul repeatedly trying to murder David out of jealousy, selfish ambition. As we read through today’s entry, I want you to think about how you might do the very same thing to varying degrees from time to time in your own life.
Picking up 1 Samual 28, we find a king Saul who is out of options and in a dangerous predicament in light of the Philistines coming out to war against he and Israel. In verses 4-5 we find Saul in a panic because the Philistines were poised at SHUNEM (Seven miles East of Megiddo which is the location of the final battle at Armageddon). The Philistines were at that location, ready to battle the Israelites in the plain of Jezreel with highly sophisticated weapons that would be used to crush the Israelites. And this understandably terrorized Saul. Let’s pick up the passage in 1 Samuel 28:5 which says this:
“When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urin, or by prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, “”Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” (1 Samuel 28:5-7a).
SO WHAT’S GOING ON HERE: What had happened is that God had left king Saul to his own devises because Saul was repeatedly rebellious against and disobedient to the Lord. Saul did what he pleased. Instead of waiting on the Lord when Samuel the prophet asked him simply to wait. Furthermore, Saul attempted repeatedly to murder David out of his egotistical-jealousy and lust for power. As a result, the Lord left Saul to his own devices, meaning that Saul was left with only his human assets but void of God’s favor, blessing, protection and power to make him victorious. Instead, Saul had more faith in his army and role as king to protect the people of Israel than God himself. But verse 5 tells us this: “When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul INQUIRED OF THE LORD THE LORD DID NOT ANSWER HIM, EITHER BY DREAMS, OR BY URIM OR BY PROPHETS”.
What had happened is that the Lord departed from Saul and left him to his own devices. Fast forwarding to verses 15-16, we find a very desperate Saul dressing in disguise to meet with a “spiritual medium” (which he had deemed illegal) in an effort to raise up the prophet Samuel up from the dead to help him discern or gain God’s direction and favor. It’s impossible for medium or any person raise a person who has dies and passed on. This case was a miracle allowed by God, who on this particular occasion permitted the actual spirit of Samuel to speak and announce Saul’s imminent death (v.19). In other words, Saul was so far out of God’s will that God handed him over to his own devices-finally telling Saul what was going to happen to he and his son Jonathan the very next day by miraculously allowing the one and only person (the deceased Prophet Samual) who Saul would believe tell him point blank what he came to find out. And the news was very bad for Saul. As an FYI, the medium’s cry of astonishment shows that this appearance was not the result of the medium’s usually tricks but authentic.
Samuel spiritually comes back from the world of the dead: “And Samuel said, “”Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has turned from you and become your enemy…” (vs16-17). Verse 18 picks us with Samuel telling Saul,
“Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord and did not carry out his fierce warpath against Amalek (Exodus 17:8; 1 Sam. 30:1) therefore, the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Moreover, the Lord will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The Lord will give the army of Israel also into the hands of the Philistines” (vss.18-19).
The central point is that Saul was so disobedient and defiant of the Lord that he brought God’s judgment on himself, his military and the Israelites, that the Lord literally turned from Saul and become an enemy of he and Israelites! Moreover, the Lord point blanc told Saul through Samuel that the game of defiance was over, and he would give Saul and his three sons; including his son Jonathan who David loved and the Israelites into the hands of the Israelites the very next day.
The point is that when we defy God, He leaves us to our own devices. We tend to think of God’s judgement as fire, pain and proactive punishment. But God’s punishment and judgement more often than not come in the form of His withdrawing His hand of blessing, power, protection and victory-even in times of war. Verse 5 makes clear that the consequence of Saul’s leaving God-God in turn left Saul on his own and to his own devices. Saul was so afraid of the forthcoming battle that his “heart trembled greatly”.
Sauls persistent disobedience had left him completely without confidence in God’s presence, protection in his life and role as king. And in verse 6, in the midst of his fear and anxiety, Saul “Inquired of the Lord”, but there was none that came.”
What had happened is that Saul became so depraved and desperate that he ended up going to see a medium in an effort to by-pass God and to seek out Samuel from the dead to help him discern God’s direction. Saul was understandably terrified and sought God’s mind for counsel about the impending battle with the Philistines. To Saul’s credit, he first sought God’s counsel through several valid means of communication, including by way of DREAMS, URIM, and PROPHETS. But the Lord did not speak to Saul through any of those means because God had already departed from Saul. Saul forgot the simple truth that the battle and victory are in the hands of the Lord and not himself. 2 Chronicles 20:15 says:
“And he said, “”Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's.”” (2 Chronicles 20:15)
This is where society, and many authentic Christians are at today. They have so departed from God that they can’t find the door to get them out of the lost-dark culture and into the light of God. Much of the world and church have forgotten that the battle is the Lords and that: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).
IN CLOSING
It’s important for us to remember that both Saul and his son Jonathan were both was saved and going to Heaven. Verses 18-19 says, “…tomorrow you and your sons shall be with Me. The Lord will give the army of Israel also into the hands of the Philistines” (vss.18-19). This clearly shows us that even those who are saved-while they can’t loose their salvation, can loose the blessings, protection and victory of the Lord in their life. As a result, the battles in their own life and life mission become lost; defeated by an evil world. Why? Because sometimes, even Christians defy God, become depraved. And as a result God leaves them to their own devices.
